Cone-cylinder intersection under pressure: Axisymmetric failure

This paper presents a detailed finite-element investigation into the axisymmetric failure behavior and strength of intersections of the large end of a cone and a cylinder subject to uniform internal pressure. The study considers shells of uniform thickness with cone-apex half angles ranging from 10° to 85° and cylinder radius-to-thickness ratios from 10 to 1,000. Plastic limit loads from a small-deflection elastic-plastic analysis are first presented. A rationally based simple equation is then established, which approximates the finite-element limit loads very closely and is suitable for future incorporation in pressure-vessel design codes. The effect of large deflections on the load-deflection behavior is examined extensively for the covered geometric parameters for three different yield stresses. An approximate equation to assess the beneficial effect of large deflections on failure strength is also developed